Glossary
Technology evolves at a rapid-fire pace. That’s why we’ve built an easy-to-use glossary to help you better understand the terms, technologies and trends that impact your business.Linear pluggable optics (LPO)
What are linear pluggable optics (LPO)?
Linear pluggable optics (LPO) are high-speed optical transceivers designed to operate without the digital signal processor (DSP) typically used inside conventional retimed optical modules. Instead, signal equalization and compensation rely more heavily on the host system and its SerDes.
Removing the module DSP can reduce power consumption, heat and latency, making LPO attractive for short-reach, high-density connections in AI and hyperscale data centers.
Why are linear pluggable optics important?
Power consumption is becoming a major constraint as data centers deploy increasing numbers of high-speed optical connections. LPO offers a way to reduce the energy required per optical link while retaining the operational advantages of a pluggable module.
However, removing the DSP also creates tighter dependencies between the host electrical interface and the optics. Signal integrity, interoperability and end-to-end link performance therefore become especially important during LPO design and validation.
Learn more
- Blog: Taking data centers to 800G with Credo Semiconductor and EXFO
- Webinar: Optimizing power usage as data centers shift to 800G
- App note: How to address design and testing challenges of LPO transceivers